Studying the Lives Scripture Preserves
To study a biblical life is to watch God shape a person over time. This study process is offered as a way of slowing down enough to notice that shaping — to gather the story, trace its movements, and allow its lessons to speak into our lives.
The Process
Choosing the Life
If you haven't already, begin by selecting a person whose story may illuminate your own walk with God. Starting smaller is often wise. Some figures, such as Abraham, Moses, or Paul, require extensive study. Lesser-recorded lives — Barnabas, Rahab, or the woman at the well — often provide clearer scope for focused reflection. The link below allows for filtering and sorting through some biblical personalities.
Noticing First Impressions
Before organizing the material, pause to record your initial observations. Questions, tensions, confusions, or patterns that surface early often guide deeper insight later.
Reflecting Deeply on the Life
Return again to the passages, this time with slower attention. You may find it helpful to consider questions such as: What did God say about this person? How did this person respond to success or failure? What motivated his or her decisions? Where do we see faith? Where do we see fear? How did this person influence others? What does his or her life reveal about God’s character? These reflections prepare the soil where application grows.
Distilling the Central Lesson
In a sentence or two, summarize the enduring lesson the person's life teaches. Sometimes it will be a principle. Sometimes a warning. Sometimes a portrait of faith.
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Gathering the Story
Using a concordance, locate each passage connected to your subject. Read them carefully, noting: Key events Relationships Turning points What Scripture records about their character Historical and cultural background can further illuminate the setting in which they lived.
Tracing the Movement
Most lives in Scripture unfold in discernible stages. Look for progressions such as: Growth or decline Shifts in faith Moments of crisis Seasons of preparation For example, Moses’ life is often viewed in three movements: Forty years in Pharaoh’s court — learning to be somebody Forty years in Midian — learning to be nobody Forty years in the wilderness — learning God is Somebody Dividing a life into two to four major movements often brings clarity without becoming unwieldy.
Identifying Character Qualities
As patterns emerge, note the qualities that define the person’s life — both admirable and cautionary — always anchored to specific passages.
Letting It Reach You
Study is complete only when it turns personal. Form a question that brings the lesson into your own life and obedience. Write it down. Return to it. Let the life you studied begin shaping your own.
